Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1887-12-10
THE NORTHERN COUNTRY.
Fish River valley and Ounilknak
Island

The following article Of interest is fur.
nished US by J. D. Ludwig, who has recent.
ly returned from Alaska, where he has been
on general tour Of inspection, and also
been looking at some mining property for
Senator J. P. Jones.
Fish river heads in the most western ex.
tremity Of America, and has two branches.
One branch OF the river has its source near
Point Clarence. This is the main branch.
The valley is long and wide one, and
there are many small lakes or ponds Of water
in it. The hills are covered with a thick
growth of scrubby spruce and pine, while
the land in the valley is rich, and makes a
splendid grass country. An abundance Of
various kinds Of berries grow on the brush
IN the valley, and mosquitoes are so thick in
July and August that even the natives wear
wells over their faces to protect them from
the slings Of the pests. The climate is cold =.
er than that OF Montana in this part Of Alas.
ka, and the seasons may be summed up as
follows-eight months Winter, two months
late in the Fall and two months hot weather,
as the sun shines nearly all the time during
each "a hours in the months Of July and
August. Fish river empties into Golohning
Bay and then into Norton Sound. The tide
flows above Golohning Bay about 80 miles
and above this the wafer is as clear as q crys.
tal-so clear that person can see small hsh
at depth Of as or 80 feet. There are six
rifles on the river, at different places, in a
distance Of eighty miles. These rifles have
not over 10 inches OF water on them at low
water, and the rate at which the river flows
is about miles an hour. The mountains at
the head Of the river are covered with per.
petual snow. and the formation OF the country
is granite, slate AMI limestone making poor
show for placer mining. Large game is very
scarce in this country. and there is not an ov
erabundance Of small game. At The mouth
of this river would be fine location for a
| salmon cannery and trading post combined.
The natives live on fish, seal meat, roots and
berries. They are disgusting race of peo-
Pile; their hair it coarse, thick, bushy and
black, and their features are not unlike an
ugly Piute's. The men make an incision on
each side and just below the lower lip into
which they insert piece OF walrus ivory,
which causes the lip to hang down upon the
chin, and DEVELOPS the beauty Of large
mouth, showing a row Of dirty, yellow
teeth. The women, though not SO dark as
the men, are even more ugly. They tattoo
their chns, aud are short, stout and bow
legged, and their feet turn inwards, so that
their gait is more of a waddle than walk.
Their filthy habits make them exceedingly
repulsive. The men and women both wear
skin pants, long shirt with hood and seal
skin boots.
oUNIKNAK ISLAND,
One Of the Aleutian Islands, and the first
island southwest Of the Alaska Peninsula
has a volcano that has been burning for over
100 years. This mountain can be seen over
100 miles from a ships deck on the Pacific
Ocean, and the peak is shaped like sugar
Loaf and rises from the ocean to the height
Of nearly 5000 feet. The peak is covered
half way down with perpetual snow. except
about 1000 feet from the top. At the top
there is dark spot, and in this dark spot
there is hole, from which the smoke is
coming at the present time. The volume OF
smoke is about equal to that Of two locomo.
tives that burn coal. The island is east OF
Ouniknak Strait, and most Of the vessels
bound for the Behring Sea pass through this
strait. 1t is quite a dangerous place, and
Uncle Sam should build light house there
to guide the sailors through the pass.